STARGAZE IN THE MALDIVES WITH KIHAVAH' S SKY GURU.

Dazzling the imagination with more than paradise islands, the remote location of the Maldives, just above the equator, has such minimal light pollution that over 15,000 stars can be observed by the naked eye. Expanding this view through the Maldives’ most powerful telescope, SKY at Anantara Kihavah Maldives Villas is home to the Maldives’ first over water observatory and an expert storytelling SKY Guru.

Meet Anantara Kihavah’s SKY Guru

Growing up on an island without electricity, native Maldivian Ali Shameem spent his childhood mapping the constellations, and the last decade observing the stars as a professional astronomer – learning with astronomy greats such as Dr Giovanni Benjamin of the University of Padua’s Department of Physics and Astronomy, Buzz Aldrin – a Maldives regular, and Dr Massimo Tarenghi who headed the ALMA Observatory in Chile from its inception. Indeed last year Shameem made the trek to ALMA himself to observe the world’s largest dark sky reserve.
Shameem has overseen the entire launch of Anantara Kihavah’s observatory, from ordering the custom 3.8 m Ash-dome, to installing the remote-controlled, research-grade 16” Meade LX200 telescope mounted on a super-giantfield tripod.

Immerse in his lifelong passion and expert knowledge with stargazing experiences of both hemispheres. Spot the pale yellow rings of Saturn, the counter-rotating zones and belts of Jupiter that vary in width, colour and intensity from year to year, and the 300,000 stars that make up the Messier 13. Marvel at Shameem’s personal favourite, the Omega Centauri - a globular cluster in the Milky Way that according to him is “the most beautiful thing you will ever see”.
Illuminate your Maldives’ escape with stargazing journeys at skykihavahmaldives.com.